Auto News 5

Nissan plans to introduce a compact, entry-level Infiniti model below the G series to compete against such cars as the Audi A3 and

General Motors will begin retooling assembly plants next year to build the next generation of its full-sized pickups, GM's U.S. sales chief Don Johnson said.

Nissan plans to introduce a compact, entry-level Infiniti model below the G series to compete against such cars as the Audi A3 and

Porsche is trying to sell more of its two-seat sports cars by touting them as daily drivers. Its new U.S. campaign markets the 911, Boxster and Cayman as "Porsche. Engineered for Magic. Every day."

Suppliers are upbeat about their business prospects despite challenges such as Europe's debt crisis, volatile raw material prices and the slower-than-expected recovery of the European economy, executives told Automotive News Europe.

Slice the price and watch buyers come running to VW dealerships. That was Volkswagen's strategy for the redesigned 2011 Jetta sedan introduced last fall.

In November 2009, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne picked Olivier Francois, a French Lancia executive, to breathe new life into the ailing Chrysler brand.

Porsche is trying to sell more of its two-seat sports cars by touting them as daily drivers. Its new campaign markets the 911, Boxster and Cayman as "Porsche. Engineered for Magic. Every day."

Auto sales in June slowed to their weakest pace in a year. But you wouldn't know it by listening to industry executives. In the meager 7 percent increase over a weak June 2010, they saw the silver lining of pent-up demand.

Despite anemic new-vehicle sales, the average dealership's net pretax profit margin hit a 24-year high in 2010 -- even though the new-vehicle department was in the red for a fifth straight year, according to the National Automobile Dealers...

In November 2009, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne picked Olivier Francois, a French Lancia executive, to breathe new life into the ailing Chrysler brand.

In CEO Carlos Ghosn's last big business plan for Nissan, quality had a starring role. In the new plan announced last week, it's a bit player -- even though the brand's quality problems are far from solved. Two major studies by J.D.

After he dropped out of the University of Texas law school in 1950, Billy Joe "Red" McCombs had six weeks to kill before starting a corporate job in Mississippi. He decided to earn a little cash roughnecking in the Texas oil fields.

Last week, Toyota Canada Inc. has announced a voluntary safety campaign on some 1,505 Highlander Hybrid and 1,476 Lexus RX 400h units. A recall notice was registered in Transport Canada's database on June 29th.

Adrian Sutil insists he is planning to still be on the grid next year but admits NASCAR might be an option for the future.

Nissan's compact commercial vehicle, called the NV200, will soon be sold as an electric vehicle. The NV200-based EV should be offered worldwide, and global proving tests will begin this month in order to evaluate the vehicle's capabilities in several markets.

JASPER, Alberta-It takes only 20 seconds to unfurl the SLK's power hardtop from its nesting place in the trunk. A fraction of a minute is an eternity when you've got a black bear keeping pace with your tiny roadster, so close you could reach out and touch its shaggy hide. Fortunately, it wasn't the slightest bit interested in us, cutting in front and lumbering down the embankment to do whatever it is that bears do in the woods.

Despite mechanical problems, Antoine L'Estage and co-driver Nathalie Richard won last weekend's edition of the Baie-des-Chaleurs Rally.

Craig Pollock is pushing ahead with his new venture Pure's plans to supply engines to formula one teams. He had announced in May that Propulsion Universelle et Recuperation d'Energie was designing a four-cylinder engine for the FIA's confirmed regulations for 2013.

Squirrel meets Lamborghini, two-bus crash, a passing manoeuvre gone wrong and the fastest remote controlled car in the world.